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Key moments
End of the match
¡Victory suffered for Manchester City! The 'Citizens' replayed a game they started losing and ended up winning 2-1 over Bournemouth in an Etihad that exploded with excitement with goals from Marc Guéhi and goal from Joško Gvardiol in the extra time. Enzo Maresca officially debuted in the Premier League with a triumph to add three gold points at the beginning of a new era.
Goal! Goal! Goal from Manchester City!
¡Comeback from the 'Citizens'! Joško Gvardiol appears in the center of the area after a flawless pass from Cherki and gets a home run with the right who overtakes Djordje Petrovic to put 2-1 against Bournemouth. The goal was revised by the VAR due to the possibility of an advanced position, but after the review, the Croatian goal is confirmed which ensures the victory of the locals.
Bournemouth makes his last change with the entry of Ben Gannon-Doak instead of Rayan, seeking to refresh the attack in the final minutes. Manchester City, for its part, tries to take advantage of the momentum after the tie, although Antoine Semenyo is marked out of play and Jack Grealish makes a hand. Also, António Silva had been admonished to 85'.
Bournemouth resists and also creates danger. Daniel Jebbison connects a headpiece behind a center of Marcus Tavernier, but Gianluigi Donnarumma makes a big hitch to avoid the second. The City responded with the entry of Jack Grealish for Phil Foden.
Haaland is close to the goal again with a shot from the center of the area that this time forces Djordje Petrovic to intervene. Bournemouth moves the bench with three changes, giving entrance to Daniel Jebbison, Alex Tóth and Tyler Adams to try to maintain the advantage.
The 'Citizens' increase pressure on the Bournemouth area. Phil Foden tries from outside the area, but his shot is blocked, while Haaland reappears with a shot that goes over the arch. The tie continues to resist.
Manchester City remains on the attack in search of a tie. Following the departure of Elliot Anderson and Nico O'Reilly, Mateo Kovačić and Rayan Cherki enter, and soon after Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland have new opportunities, but without beating Petrovic.
Manchester City makes its first modification with the entry of Matheus Nunes in place of Rico Lewis, seeking greater presence on the right side, both defensively and offensively. The match continues to be played with intensity, with both teams resorting to fouls to cut off progress, while the 'Citizens' continue to seek a draw.
Bournemouth withstands the initial push of City and manages to cut some progress by fouls. Rico Lewis wins a free kick on his own field after an offense by Adrien Truffert, while the 'Cherries' try to maintain their lead on the scoresheet. The game is intense and every ball match ensures a lot of friction.
The team of Enzo Maresca maintains the initiative and once again generates danger to a stationary ball. After a short run, Marc Guéhi connected a head from very close, but the headshot left as soon as it was deflected by the right side. Visitors lost the mark and were in great danger in their area.
Start of the second half
¡The second half is now played at Etihad! Manchester City is determined to make a comeback after going down in the 0-1 half against Bournemouth. The 'Citizens' make the draw, advance lines and start pushing for a tie from the referee’s order.
End of the first half
¡The first half ends at Etihad! Manchester City 0-1 Bournemouth. The 'Cherries' surprise the local team and leave for half-time with an advantage thanks to Marcus Tavernier’s goal, while the 'Citizens' will have to react in the complement after missing several goal opportunities.
The minute of addition is served and the referee reprimands Evanilson for a strong infraction. Bournemouth forward receives the yellow card before half-time, in a close of first half marked by intensity and constant disputes.
Bournemouth ends the stretch with a dangerous counterblow response. Justin Kluivert received on the left side of the area and drew a bolt that was stopped, while shortly before Marcus Tavernier had tried from outside the area without finding the arch.
The 'Citizens' are approaching with danger again and Haaland appears again as an offensive reference. The Norwegian forward made a headshot from the center of the area, but Djordje Petrovic responded with a good intervention to keep the draw goal-free.
The game slows down a bit after the break due to an incident on the field. Manchester City tries to regain control and seeks out Erling Haaland, who has tried from outside the area, but his pitch was blocked by Bournemouth’s defense.
Goal! What a play! Goal! Goal from Bournemouth!
Great action between Rayan and Evanilson, who was in charge of giving the assistance measured for the arrival of Marcus Tavernier on the second stick, where he only had to push the ball to the bottom of the net to secure the advantage in the scoreboard.
The meeting remains intense and with occasions for both teams. City came close to opening the scoresheet with Erling Haaland, who narrowly missed a home run at very short distance behind a center of Nico O'Reilly. The 'cherries' have also shown a capacity to create danger.
Bournemouth responded and had one of its best chances so far. Rayan received in the right sector of the area and took a powerful hit that forced Gianluigi Donnarumma to perform a large tie at the top of his arch to maintain 0-0.
Manchester City retains control of the game and continues to seek space in the Bournemouth area. Phil Foden and Nico O'Reilly are active in the gangs, while the 'Cherries' try to contain local attacks and quickly come out against them.
The 'Citizens' are warning!
Manchester City warned early on the Etihad with a double occasion. First, Rico Lewis demanded a small-area hit from archer Djordje Petrovic after a large combination of Haaland and Foden, but the goalkeeper at Bournemouth responded with a good tackle. After the race, Nico O'Reilly again approached the 'Citizens' with a headshot that left slightly above the crossbar.
Start of the match
Great welcome to the team and Maresca at Etihad!
Everything is ready to debut in this new season. The referee gives the order and Bournemouth makes the initial draw, looking to go into opposing field in the first action, but the defense of Manchester City was careful to stay with the ball.
The highlights
Bournemouth has Evanilson as the main offensive referent, accompanied by the creativity and imbalance ability of Justin Kluivert. In the midfield, Alex Scott brings youth, vision and display, while the new sides Juanlu Sanchez and Alex Jimenez will seek to give more depth to the team. Amine Adli also appears as an important alternative for its speed and band imbalance.
Figures to follow
Manchester City has in Erling Haaland its main offensive reference, accompanied by the imbalance and speed of Jérémy Doku. They are joined by two names called to gain prominence: the Frenchman Rayan Cherki, noted for his technique and vision of play, and Elliott Anderson, who aims to become a key player and the engine of the 'Citizens' midfield.
Statistics
Manchester City comes out ahead in league premieres, having won 14 of their last 15 inaugural Premier League matches, while Bournemouth only won two of their last nine. In addition, the Etihad has been a difficult scenario for the rivals: the 'Citizens' suffered just two losses as home in the past league and, before 1-1 May 2026 against the 'Cherries', had won three of the four previous matches.
History
Manchester City largely dominates the record against Bournemouth at Etihad Stadium. The 'Citizens' have won all nine Premier League matches they have played as locals against the 'Cherries', with a strong balance of 34 goals for and only six against.
Substitutes
From the bench, these are the options that the coach will have to modify the game as required by the development of the match.
40 Will Dennis
18 Bafodé Diakité
11 Ben Gannon-Doak
27 Alex Tóth
24 Juanlu Sánchez
7 David Brooks
12 Tyler Adams
30 Álvaro Rodriguez
29 Daniel Jebbison
Starting XI Bournemouth
With the eyes on victory, these are the headlines that will seek to impose conditions from the beginning and approach the great goal. The eleven players on the court will be the basis of the coach’s strategic plan, and they will seek to fulfill their role on the court.
Substitutes
From the bench, these are the options that the coach will have to modify the game as required by the development of the match.
28 Geronimo Rulli
21 Rayan Alt-Nouri
27 Matheus Nunes
22 Vitor Reis
8 Mateo Kovačić
10 Rayan Cherki
14 Nico González
18 Jack Grealish
7 Omar Marmoush
Starting XI Manchester City
With the eyes on victory, these are the headlines that will seek to impose conditions from the beginning and approach the great goal. The eleven players on the court will be the basis of the coach’s strategic plan, and they will seek to fulfill their role on the court.
Ready for the debut
Bournemouth is also already at Etihad Stadium to face their debut against Manchester City. As fans begin to color the stage, the 'Cherries' captured in videos some details of the stadium and the pre-match atmosphere, before showing their players entering the venue for the first game of the Marco Rose era.
Arrival home
Manchester City players are already making their way to the Etihad Stadium, where they will officially start their Premier League 2026-27 off Bournemouth this Sunday. The arrival was accompanied by enthusiasm from fans, who approached the tickets to welcome and encourage the team in the first league match of the Enzo Maresca era.
Current
Bournemouth, for its part, had a more positive pre-season, with three wins, one draw and one loss in five games. The 'Cherries' defeated Genoa 10-1 and also beat Augsburg (5-2) and St. Pauli (4-1), before drawing 2-2 with Real Betis and falling 2-1 to Mainz 05. In total, the team led by Marco Rose scored 20 goals and received eight during their preparation.
Balance
Manchester City come with irregular results in their last five games. The 'Citizens' added two pre-season victories, both 3-1 against Atlético de Madrid and the K-League Stars, as well as a draw against Inter. However, they closed their preparation with defeat and then suffered a hard blow by falling 3-0 to Arsenal in the Community Shield. Their last official Premier League match also ended in a loss, 2-1 to Aston Villa in May.
Here it’s played
Etihad Stadium, home of Manchester City, is located in Manchester and was originally built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, before being transformed into a football stadium. Since 2011 it has its current name for sponsorship reasons and has a capacity of 62,097 spectators.
The enclosure stands out for its oval design and its three levels of steps on the sides. After the remodelling that allowed City to settle there in 2003, the stadium was consolidated as one of the great stages of the Premier League and has also hosted international matches, rugby and the 2008 UEFA Cup final.
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